Quad block for slug-casting machines



April 10, 1928. 1,665,248 A. ARCHER QUAD BLOCK FOR SLUG CASTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 6.. 1926 INVENTOR BY. Ghana: A

59 I movable rule strip which will permit their Patented Apr. 10, 1928;.

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AT NTT FI '7 ALFRED ARCHER, or CALDW LL, NEW JERSEY; Ass'IGNoaro MERGENTHALER Lino TYPEco vrr mY, A conroRArroN or'nnw YORK.

Qu n) BLOCK non swe cAsrinc'mAcnmns.

'Aiip1ication filed October 6, 1926.,1Seiia1 iib; 139,791.

My invention relates to slug casting Inachines, such as linotype machines of the general organization represented in United StatesLettersjPatent to O. Mergenthaler,

5 No. 436,532, wherein a slu g or linotype is cast ina slotted mold against an assembled line of matrices, which produce the, type characters thereon.

Ordinarily the line is composed of a series of individual matrices which circulate through the machine, but at other time s,-it ismade up of a single non-circulating matrix known in the art as a quad block and used particularly for the productionof rules, 1:; border slugs and the like. As commonly constructed the quad block consists of a solid body portion, similar in cross-section to the ordinary linotype matrix,-and having in its front face amatrix slide containing the 'form ative cavities correspond ng to the characanother containing the desired formative cavities. It will readily be understood that, as a result, of this practice, a wide selection 1'30 of slides must be kept on hand in order to meet the requirements in the .many differ- ,ent classes of work and that, since the slides are an engravedproduct, and in the majority of cases specially designed, considerable.

"expense is involved. This objection becomes more pronounced in connection with blank 7 forms and tabular work, wherein so many variationsin the arrangement and spacing of the lines are required. l

V The resent invention is intended to avoid the above objections and contemplates a matrix arrangement which, while extremely inexpensive, will provide an almostunlimited selection of line spacings and cross-line combinations. To this end, specifically, it is proposed to make up the'quad blocks .of separate and independent sections, such as the regular linotypematrices and spacing quads, and to fasten the sections together" by a rerearrangement and interchange as desired. In the. accompanying drawings I have shown my invention merely in preferred form and by Way of example, and it should be noted that many changes and variations block :constructed according to the present invention; a a

slide from the block when it is desired to cast a slug'of different form and replace it with sections "from one end-of the block to the other, but which is capable of removal at may be lmade therein its mode of adaptation, which will still be comprised within its'spirit. Generallyspeaking, I desure to be understoodthat I do not wish to limit myselfto'any specific form 'or em bodiment, except in so far as such limitations are specified inthe claims. i

Referring to thedrawingsz W Fig.v 1 is a front or-face view of a quad.

Fig. 2 is an endview thereof;

-. Fig; 3 is a perspective view of one of the matrix sections employed; Fig. e is aperspectiveviewlof-the rule" 7 Fig. .5 is a sectional view showing the quad block in casting position;

6, showsa blank or ruled form ilIus-Y trativeof the class of work for which the prelsent invention is particularly designed; an i H ig. shows demeanor two slugs cast from differentxquad blocks. I

V shownin Figs. 1 and 2 the improved quad block A comprises 1 an assemblage of matrix sectionsA and blank or-spacing sectionsli held together by along binding strip B, which ispassed through all of ,the' i willlto' permit'the rearrangement or interchange of the. sections when desired. The matrix and blank sections are each formed with upper andlower pairs of projecting ears a, to adaptthe block for support and alignment in commercial linotype machines in thefregular way and also with a dovetailednotfch a of the propersizeto accommoda'te snuglythe binding strip B. In the embodiment illustrated the sections A? A are 'constituted by thefstand ardline or lead ,er matrices'and spacing quads employed in i the. commercial linotype machine, although the distributing teetha gand font notches a with which they are provided are unimport ant, and have no particular utility inso far as this invention is concerned.

- The line formative cavities a of matrix sections A? areldisposedvertically or longitudinally thereof and form a series of I transverse ribs'orruling surfaces c on slugs C east therefrom (see. Fig. 7), and when lines-of any extent are desired, a number of these slugs will be castfrom the same matrix 416 "line and thenassembled, side by side, to

bring the'ribs into transverse alignment.

' Fig. 6 which shows a ruled form, gives an illustration ofthe kind of WVQIk which the present invention intended to produce, it eing noted that a series of horizontal broken lines D are in effectintersected by aseries of vertical solid linesDi, The horizontallines D are producedbythe transverse-ribs 0 of the assembled slugs, the spacing ofthe lines corresponding to thearrangement of the matrix sections A1 and blanksectio'n A hichinake upthequad block A. Itwill be noted that these sections areidentical, ex

ceptas to. thickness, and. consequently lend tieinselves readily to handling, selecting In orderto produce the linesD ofthe ruled form -D, the quad blockrA is j provided with a continuous: line. or rule formative cavity B disposed horizontallyor longitudinallyof'the block and thus at right 'tion only in preferred form and by Way of angles 'to the matrix; cavities a In the preferred embodimentillustratech'the cavity B i's'formed in the exposed faceof thebinding strip B, although it could be "formedin the matrices andquads themselves'if the strip B were. positioned differently, or other means were provided forholding thesecti ons'together. This latter alternative, however, would involve considerable extra. expense, since each individual section would have to be p t'tlirough extra routing and punching v operatiOns,

' It will be noted that the relativeposition ofthedove-tailed notchesdfi and the matrix cavities a issuch asto enable the rule cavity B to be located in immediate juxtaposition to the matrix cavities, so that'both maybe cast on the same slug when the block is presented to themold (see Fig. 5'). Such a slug 7 is indicated at() in Fig.1 7 and,'as shown, it

is formed With a longitudinal ruling ribc V as Well-as Withythe transverse ribs 0, the rib a being ca'ston one edge of the slug-rather 'than lbeing-space'd inwardly therefrom, in order that the'transverse ribs 0 of an adjacent slug may come substantially flush against" the rib c and cause the breaks at the fintersecting points of' the lines D? D to be almost imperceptible inthe'printed form.

fIn providing for variablespacing of the lverticajllines D ,-'it is proposedjto cast the slugs of different thicknessegwithor ithout the, long tudinal ribs 0 and utilize the slugs "without' the ribslc to separate the others." In this connection it Willbe observed (see Fig. 5) that while the rule cavity B is f'suflicien'tly closefto the matrix cavities a to serve inthe manner described, there is still ample space'alloived for the casting of a thinner slugU (Fig. against thegblock,

vhich will have-only the transverse ribsc on 1ts printing edge.v At such times, of course, s

': t e sa f .the1. ri' slo -ted mel -16m" ployed willshut oif the cavity B (as indi-'' cated by theTb-roken lines in Fig. 5).

.111 selecting their matrices for any particular job, the spacing of the vertical 'lin'es D 'should preferably determine the slugs. It i's-alsoadvisable to maintain the I same relation between the formative cavities ofthe matr ces A and the strip B, irrespec tive of: the size or height of-the matrix'characters. The position of the dove-tailed notch a in the casting'edgesof the matrices and quads will be varied accordingly.

' As before stated, Iliave shownmyinvenexample, but obviously many changes and variat ons inay hemade there n and in ts mode of: adaptationwlthoutdeparture from its scope. "I, therefore, desire it tobe under-' stood'that I do not wishto limit myself-t0 any specific forinor embodiment, except in so far as such limitations are specilied in, the claiinsfi lflaving thus describedmy invention, its

construction, and mode of operation, What I claim and desire to. secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis as follows '1.v A qu ad*blook for producing a ruled form, comprising a series of' independent matrix sections, a. series of independentblankspacing sections, and a binding strip for' lioldi'ng the seotions'together as a unit,

"2 A quad block for producing a ruled form, compris ng a series offind'epe'ndent matrix sections, a series of" independent blankspacing sections, and a bllldlllg'Strlp for holding thesections together as a unit,

. said strip removable at Will to permit rearrangementpr interchange of the sections';

- 31A quad' blockffor" producing a. ruled form, comprising a series of independent matrix sections having line formative 'cavitree, a seriesof independent blank spa e-' 111g sections, and itibll'ldlng strip coun tersunk intheicasting "edges of the sections to holdxthemtogether as a unit'and itself provided With a line formative cavity;

4-. A quad block for producing a ruled form, comprising a series of independent matrix sections, V a series of independent blank spacing sections, and a binding strip for holding the sections together as a unit and provided with a line formative cavity 1 block for producing a iruled' form, which located adjacent the formative cavities of thematrices so as to serve conjointly therewith as described. 7 e

5. A quad block for producing a ruled form, comprising a selection of independent matrix and independentblank spacing sections formed with recesses in their casting edges, and a longitudinal binding strip pass ing through all of the recesses from one end of the block to the other for holding the sections together as a unit but capable .of removal to permit rearrangement or interchange of the sections. as desired.

6. The method of constructing a quad block for producing a ruled form, which" consists in providing a selection of independent linotype matrices and independent spacing quads, arranging them in the desired order, stacking them face to face to align the matrix characters, and then binding them together in a composite unit.

stack together.

7 The-method of. constructing a quad consists in providing a'selection of independent linotype matrices and independent spacing quads, each formed witha recess 1n its casting edge, arranging said matrices and quads in the desired order, stacking them face to face with their recesses aligned, and insertinga' binding strip 'in the continuous groove presented by the aligned recesses to hold the units" of the 8. A quad block made up of a series ;of

independent matrix sections,f0rmed' with vertically disposed line producing cavities,

and a binding strip passed throughsaid matrix sections to hold them together as a'unit, and formed alone with a horizontally disposed rule producing cavity.

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my signature hereto.

ALFRED ARCHER. 

